Mounting for framed elements.



'E. A. HAWTHORNE. MOUNTING FOR FRAMED ELEMENTS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1911.

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nnnswonrn A. HAWTHORNE, or nn'inenron'r, CONNECTICUT.

MOUNTING FOR FRAMED ELEMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

Original application filed .Tune 2, 1914, Serial No. 842,502. Divided and this application filed June 12, 1917. Serial No. 174,316.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ELLSWORTH A. HAW- THORNE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Mountings for Framed Elements, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to mountings for elements which it is desired to secure in frames or frame-like structures in such a that the central portion thereof shall not be obscured. As a particular example of such elements I may mention the windows or lenses of'such lamps as are commonly used on vehicles which are held in frame-like bezels or window frames. By way of illustration I shall in the following specification describe my invention as applied to a retaining device for such a window- In the accompanying drawings showing one form of lamp bezel embodying my invention:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation, partly in of the lamp bezel or window frame,

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4. is an enlarged sectional detail similar to a portion of Fig. 2.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I have there shown a lamp bezel 5 provided with a seat 7 against which is adapted to be mounted a suitable light transmitting element 9 which for convenience I shall refer to as a glazing.

The novelstructure peculiar to the present application has more particularly to do with the means for retaining the glazing against its seat.

The retainingmeans of the present embodiment of the invention takes the form of a divided annulus 11 formed of suitable sheet metal or from what is commercially known'as flat wire. In order to avoid the misleading connotaton of the word wire, I shall, however, refer to the annulus as a sheet metal annulus. The annulus conforms substantially to the shape of the bezel 5, is adapted to be inserted therein with its outer circumference bearing against the interior of the bezel, and for this purpose it is made somewhat larger than the bezel, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and resilient so that it will tend to regain its shape against deformations in its approximate plane and can thereby be assembled with the bezel 5 under tension and beheld in place therein by such tension. Preferably the retaining annulus 11, as shown, includes a marginal bead 13 which is adapted to seat in a suitable groove 15 in the bezel adjacent to the glazing, the bead 13 being crosssectionally substantially coextensive with the groove. Extending from the marginal portion 13 is a flange portion 17 which is preferably slightly frusto-conical in form so that when the parts are assembled in the position shown m Fig. 4:, the flange portion 17 will be displaced inwardly by the glazing 9 and will therefore be tensioned against the same. The pressure of the glazing on the smaller base of the frustum will tend to expand the lower base and hold the bead l3firmly seated in groove 15, reinforcing the natural resilient action of the split annulus. Referring to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the flange portion of the annulus bears substantially flatwise against the glazing,

thus assuring a broad area of contact which will firmly hold the latter. Furthermore, as the glazing 9 expands or contracts, the flange portion 17 can yield therewith without causing excessive strains and without disarranging the assemblage in any way.

The adjacent end portions of the annulus 19 and 21 (see Figs. 1 and 3) are preferably designed to be slightly separated when the ring is fully seated in the groove 15. One of these ends, herein the end 19, is provided with a lug 23 conveniently integraltherewith and offset therefrom so that when the annulus is in position it will extend over and lie upon the fiat flange portion 17 of the opposite end 21, as clearly seen in Fig. 3,'the end 21 being thereby confined between the glazing and the lug 23. As seen in Fig. 1, the lug is preferably so formed that it is spaced .from the bead portion 15 of the annulus and therefore, as appears best in Fig. 2, from the adjacent surface of the lug to pry the annulus loose from its seat when it is desired to disassemble the parts.

The provision of thelug prevents the end 21 from springing loose from the groove and tends in efiect to make the divided annulus act as if it were formed in a single piece. Furthermore, the yieldable frusto-- conical flange is connected circumferentially and sustained against the pressure thereon of the glazing. A lug as described is simple and inexpensive to make, does not interfere with the ease of assembling the parts and gives a neat finish to the assemblage.

It has been found in practice that in a mounting of this nature the two ends of the 7 ring tend to come toward each other in abutting contact after use. It will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 3 that the provision of the offset lug 23 permits this natural action without introducing any forces which would tend to impair the integrity of the assemblage.

I have described in detail a specific embodiment of my invention as applied to the use of holding a glazing in a lamp bezel,

my purpose in doingso being clarity of description rather than exactitude of definition. The scope of my invention is therefore not to be understood as limited by the particularity of the description, but what I do claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a frame-like mounting having a seat, a framed element mounted against said seat, the mounting being provided with a circumferential groove adjacent to said element, a divided sheet metal member of a contour substantially similar to that of the groove and resiliently tending to regain said contour against deformations in the approximate plane thereof, said member having a marginal portion to seat in said groove and a flange portion extending inwardly therefrom inclined toward and tensioned against said element to lie substantially flat thereagainst, the flange portion atone end of said member having an extension adapted to overlie inwardly the fiat face of the flange portion at the opposite end.

2. In combination, a frame-like mounting having a seat, a framed element and means to retain the element against the seat comprising a divided annulus having its exterior circumference seated on said mounting, there being positioning means on the mounting adjacent to said element cooperating with said annulus, said annulus having at one end a lug adapted to overlie the face of the other end of the annulus which is hereby received between it and the said element.

3. In combination, a frame-like mounting having a seat, a framed element and means to retain the element against the seat comprising a divided annulus having its exterior circumference seated on said mounting, there being positioning means on the mounting adjacent to said element cooperating with said annulus, ing at one end a lug adapted to overlie the face of the other end of the annulus which is thereby received between it and the said element, said lug being spaced from that portion of the mounting on which said annulus bears.

In testimony whereof, I have name, to this specification.

ELLSWORTH A. HAWTHORNE.

signed my copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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